I fly over 75k with UA, but last week I had the opportunity to fly AA, and CO, wow what a difference. I find the UA boarding process the worst organized in the industry, while I found both AA, and CO to be well organized with line jumpers called aside and made to wait (boarding with section 1 as opposed to section 4 or 5). Any other thoughts??

WN's was considered by many - the pits, as discussed many times here. New process is improved. But in PHX last Friday, a couple women still stood by their assigned numbered post for almost an hour ahead of time. Why? Old habits die hard, I guess. Everyone else waited until the A group was called. My perception with the new WN system, is that the medical pre-boards have increased since they still go first. Again, just my undocumented observations. No more early pre-board for family/kids.

I like the NW cattle call, though I suspect I'm in the minority on that. Still, it does seem to make boarding quicker than boarding by rows and, in sharp contrast to the WN cattle call, there's a seat waiting for you once you get aboard.

No just getting sick of the uncontrolled mayhem developing, and curious as to other's valued opinions, as I said, I was quite taken back by the efficiency of both AA/CO on my last UA trip. Since the advent of the Red carpet, it seems anyone who can breath is "Global Services".

Doesn't matter the aircraft or what the load or how many bags get checked if the overheads are full near the end of the boarding process, I just don't see panic setting in to often with either the crew or gate agents as the departure time nears, all are seated, overheads closed, last PA is made, door is shut, and off we go!

Any views shared are strictly my own and do not a represent those of any former employer.

Quoting D950 (Thread starter):I fly over 75k with UA, but last week I had the opportunity to fly AA, and CO, wow what a difference. I find the UA boarding process the worst organized in the industry,

Are you kidding me? I think the UA (and AS who operate an identical system) have the most sensible boarding process with the red carpet lane and it seems to be well policed too!

Maybe if you were 1K or upgraded to First Class more often then you'd experience the wonder of red carpet boarding

It does seem to breed weirdoes though...I've seen people waiting ON the tiny square of red carpet for almost an hour before their flight departs reading the newspaper, working on laptops and making phone calls!! It really defeats the point of having the red carpet if you feel the need to stand on it...plus you end up looking like a right dick. It's designed to minimize the time that the priority travellers spend at the gate

Worst:
-Any airline with boarding groups or Zone Boarding. Awful. If I have seat 12A & get zone 9 (happens 9 times out of 10), I don't want to have to crawl over the person in 12B who somehow boarded in zone 3 and 12C who got zone 5.

Worst:
-Any airline with boarding groups or Zone Boarding. Awful. If I have seat 12A & get zone 9 (happens 9 times out of 10), I don't want to have to crawl over the person in 12B who somehow boarded in zone 3 and 12C who got zone 5.

Actually US has a zone boarding system designed to prevent JUST that. They board windows to aisles while simultaneously boarding back to front. Like a reversed pyramid. It was based on studies done by ASU that HP ended up adopting and then with the merger, the whole airline adopted this process.

Southwest is by far the best and all others pale in comparison! I like to be able to go onboard and see for myself who I want to sit beside. When I fly Southwest, which admittedly is not often, I check in online as early as possible, and always manage to get a good seat. If I know the flight will fill up, I get an aisle seat in a row of 3 where there is already a couple, and I have never been disappointed. I have been disappointed 90% of the time when I have preselected my seat on airlines which allow it. More often than not, I end up beside a mother and a screaming kid.
Cheers,
AY104

The only thing a customer should expect for his/her loyalty is good service

Quoting Bridogger6 (Reply 14):Actually US has a zone boarding system designed to prevent JUST that. They board windows to aisles while simultaneously boarding back to front. Like a reversed pyramid. It was based on studies done by ASU that HP ended up adopting and then with the merger, the whole airline adopted this process.

It works very well when followed correctly.

Of the two airlines I fly the most (DL & US), I've noticed US's is a little more organized than DL's system. It seems better than DL's procedure anyway.

Quoting Fbgdavidson (Reply 10):Maybe if you were 1K or upgraded to First Class more often then you'd experience the wonder of red carpet boarding

Actually I am in First 90% of the time, but as you yourself noted, the line starts forming an hour before flight time, I guess my point was, the United personel do NOTHING to stop it, but @ IAH the CO gate agent twice told the folks to beat it or they would board last, just more controlled.

Quoting D950 (Reply 17):Actually I am in First 90% of the time, but as you yourself noted, the line starts forming an hour before flight time, I guess my point was, the United personel do NOTHING to stop it

But it isn't a 'menacing' queue, more along the lines of just people without RCC membership who are stupid and feel the need to show off their First/1K/GS-ness. I've used the red carpet maybe a dozen times since it was introduced and have never had to wait for more than one person to board ahead of me just waltzing up to the gate whenever. I certainly wouldn't class it as a problem and I'm yet to encounter a line.

If I'm flying internationally (so more passengers eligible for red carpet) then boarding is spaced out enough that I can go whenever and not wait, and on the domestic routes I use or the times of the week I fly I find there aren't enough red carpet eligible passengers to cause a problem.

Reason: they always call up boarding by rows, which makes perfect sense... unfortunately, no-one ever checks if the passengers wanting to board are actually seated in those rows.

Within the past month, I've experienced 8 boarding calls that never went beyond "We would now like to invite passengers seated in rows 20 to 28 to board the aircraft"... no other calls were made, because, as usual, everyone just jumped up and ran towards the gate, as if you were getting the flight for free if you were among the first people to board...

Either ENFORCE boarding by rows, or don't even call for boarding that way... one without the other is just completely useless.

I used to like the DL zone boarding procedure (zone one for First Class and the bulkheads, zones two and three for Medallions and SkyTeam Elites, and then zones four through nine for the rest of the coach cabin) and it used to be organized...

But now the rules have been changed and ALL Medallion members and SkyTeam Elites are eligible to board in zone ONE. On Thursdays and Fridays working mainline CMH-ATL flights (which are usually full those days) you have upwards to 70 people who are eligible to board with the first zone. It's complete chaos from the aircraft door all the way up the jetway and into the terminal. The line is so long that the agent has to stop scanning boarding passes because that's where it's stopped and it's because almost half of the plane tries to board at the same time, and they're eligible to do it. It's absolutely rediculous. I'm all for the BREEZEWAY lanes and priority boarding for elites and what have you, but you can't have 70 people boarding the aircraft at the same time.

AA has the best in my experience. Groups 1-6 and it always works well. CO I find is the worst with boarding by clumps of rows. I remember we had a late departure in SFO onetime because it took forever to board the plane with the "rows 15-25, 6-10" etc..

Quoting David21487 (Reply 21):But now the rules have been changed and ALL Medallion members and SkyTeam Elites are eligible to board in zone ONE. On Thursdays and Fridays working mainline CMH-ATL flights (which are usually full those days) you have upwards to 70 people who are eligible to board with the first zone

Same happens on US. It seems that Zone 1 has 50% of the pax, or more! My flights on Thursday nights are the same chaos as you describe.

My biggest pet peeve is when all the Zone 1 boarders (and some zone 7!) are crowding around the podium, waiting for boarding to commence, there is always one or two high and mighty Zone 1'ers that arrive late and stroll right through the crowd up to the head of the line .... "well, I'm Zone 1" ...... yeah buddy, so are the 50 people you just cut in front of!

US sometimes boards only F/C first, then Zone 1 ... but doesn't reduce the crowd by much.

Jimbo

I'd rather be on the ground wishing I was in the air, than in the air wishing I was on the ground!